Let’s take a trip back to 25 June, after Australia had comfortably defeated England by 64 runs in the World Cup.
England looked in poor form and still had two matches to go against India and New Zealand. At this point in the tournament, it appeared as if England had little chance of winning but we all remember how that story ends. England played their way back into contention and it all culminated with a heroic knock by Ben Stokes and a series of progressively more unusual situations, which led to an English victory.
The similarities between the World Cup and the third Test are in more than just how the story ends. The fingerprints of England’s victory in the World Cup are all over their performance in the third Test in both the positive and the negative aspects of how they played.
The story of the World Cup and the Ashes started with the deep hole that England dug for themselves through disappointing performances with the bat. In both situations, a lack of strong defensive technique left their line-up vulnerable to losing wickets in a hurry. These technical weaknesses were laid bare in England’s dismissal for 67 in the first innings at Headingley.
In slightly challenging conditions, the English batting demonstrated an inability to moderate their aggressive intent and it helped lead to players like Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Stokes playing unnecessary shots outside off stump which bought an end to their innings.
Both tales turned around partly due to England’s belief in their ability to win from any situation. In the World Cup, England entered the tournament with years of victories in one-day games at home and were able to rely upon that strong record in difficult circumstances. The resulting success in the World Cup proved to the team that they could overcome even the greatest challenges.
Seven out of the 11 English players at Headingley were part of that tournament victory and were able to bring that confidence along.
(Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
However, all the belief in the world would not have been enough on its own to win the World Cup and the last Test match without the skills needed to win in difficult situations.
England’s success in one-day matches stemmed from an aggressive mindset and a willingness to attack regardless of the situation. As seen in their first innings at Headingley and the loss to Australia in the World Cup on 25 June, that aggression could get England into a lot of trouble. However, they stuck with an aggressive mindset because it was believed to be the best way that they could succeed. In both those situations, they were ultimately proven right.
When Stuart Broad was dismissed on Day 4 at Headingley, England still needed 83 runs to win with only one wicket in hand. To reach this total, Ben Stokes went back to what he knew and what had served England so well. Despite Australia setting very defensive fields, Stokes was able to score at over eight an over. This was not something he could have done without years of honing the ability to score quickly under pressure.
Too many have made the mistake of discounting England in both the World Cup and the third Test, but this is not a team who gives up easily. Tim Paine and Justin Langer may well rue the chance that they have lost to finish England off, because as the World Cup showed, Australia may not be granted another one.
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